Cherelle Parker and other city officials outline ambitious neighborhood cleanup plan

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and the newly created Office of Clean and Green Initiatives outlined an ambitious plan to sweep all of the city’s neighborhoods of trash over the summer.

A citywide block cleaning program will begin on June 3 and run until August 26. The program is designed to address chronic problems affecting Philadelphia streets, including litter, illegal dumping, graffiti, abandoned vehicles and vacant lots.

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During the 13-week period, cleaning crews will work in each neighborhood to disinfect and tidy each street. Different neighborhoods will be cleaned each week, starting with Frankford, Juniata, Harrowgate, Kensington, Richmond and Bridesburg the week of June 3.

Philadelphia residents can check when their neighborhood will get a cleanup in a document detailing the plan.

“We have already begun cleaning neighborhood business corridors across the city and now Clean and Green will begin cleaning all residential blocks in the city,” Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a Friday news release. “Let’s keep our promise and put an end to ‘Philthadelphia’ once and for all.”

More than a dozen government agencies participate in the “One Philly, United Citywide Cleaning and Greening” program, including the Philadelphia Department of Sanitation, Parks and Recreation, the Philadelphia Parking Authority, the Department of Streets and SEPTA.

Parker, along with Clean and Green Director Carlton Williams and several city officials, will present the program to the media on Wednesday, June 5.

The city established the Office of Clean and Green Initiatives on May 17 to promote collaboration between departments and within agencies to address long-standing quality of life issues related to waste.

The comprehensive plan to clean up Philadelphia’s streets will be a major test for the new office and for Parker herself, who made citywide cleanups a hallmark of her mayoral campaign.